fourth class

¹

noun

1. (in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of merchandise weighing one pound or more, including parcel post and all first-, second-, or third-class matter weighing 8 ounces (227 grams) or more and not sealed against inspection.

fourth-class

²

[fawrth-klas, -klahs, fohrth-]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designated as a class next below third, as for mailing, shipping, etc.

adverb

1. as fourth-class matter; by fourth-class mail.

   Send it fourth-class.

fourth-class

adjective

1. of or relating to mail that is carried at the lowest rate

adverb

1. by fourth-class mail

Word History and Origins

Origin of fourth-class¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Origin of fourth-class²

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

After the climb is complete, they’re called fourth class midshipmen, not plebes.

From Seattle Times

I was like, ‘Should I do a fourth class?’

From Los Angeles Times

“Would all members of the student government please report to the auditorium at the start of the fourth class period? Thank you.”

From Literature

So consider this: What if some Specialist Fourth Class somewhere in the bowels of the U.S. intelligence community had been surfing through top-secret files and had come upon plans to either kidnap or kill Bin Laden and had posted those plans where his buddies could see them on a gamer chat room?

From Salon

What if some Specialist Fourth Class somewhere in the bowels of the U.S. intelligence community had been surfing through top-secret files and had come upon plans to either kidnap or kill Bin Laden and had posted those plans where his buddies could see them on a gamer chat room?

From Salon